1. Technical Field
This document relates to methods and materials involved in treating renal cell carcinoma. For example, this document provides methods and materials for assessing a renal cell carcinoma patient for tumor or peritumoral tissue containing CD14+ cells and proceeding with a renal cell carcinoma treatment option based on the presence, absence, or level of CD14+ cells present within the tumor or peritumoral tissue.
2. Background Information
The incidence and deaths caused by renal cell carcinoma are increasing in the United States. Of particular note, incidence and mortality rates for renal cell carcinoma have risen among both genders, and these trends are not explained by the increased use of abdominal imaging (Chow et al., JAMA, 281:1628-31 (1999)). Indeed, mortality from renal cell carcinoma has increased over 30% since 1950. One treatment for renal cell carcinoma is surgical resection. The majority of patients with renal cell carcinoma confined to the kidney can be cured by surgery; however, about 30 percent of patients can develop metastases and require additional treatments.
Renal cell carcinoma encompasses a group of at least five subtypes with unique morphologic, genetic, and behavioral characteristics (Cheville et al., Am. J. Surg. Pathol., 27:612-24 (2003)). Cancer-specific survival is dependent on subtype, and over 80 percent of renal cell carcinomas and the vast majority of renal cell carcinoma-related deaths are due to clear cell renal cell carcinoma. To date, tumor stage and grade are the primary prognostic indicators for patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma treated by nephrectomy (Gettman et al., Cancer, 91:354-61 (2001)). There is, however, variability in patient outcome that cannot be explained by the combination of stage and grade.